The Price of Goodness
by fanofdenial
Summary: After finding the Basilisk that he hoped to move to the Chamber of Secrets to be unleashed on the muggleborns of Hogwarts, an unlikely opponent fights for the muggleborns lives. Who will be victorious? Written for the Hogwarts Houses Challenge Camp Hogwarts competition


Words: 1024

Salazar Slytherin appraised the mighty beast from behind, taking extreme care to avoid looking at it from any angle that would chance him meeting its hypnotic yellow eyes. He was well aware that it would be the last thing he would ever do. It was with great admiration that he looked its lean body up and down. Easily fourty feet long, the basilisk's undulating blue-grey body spoke to Salazar of power and fear. Most of all, it spoke to him of revenge against those who had hurt him. Godric Gryffindor's face flashed across his mind, and he unconsciously clenched his fists together in rage as anger flared in the pit of his stomach. Emboldened, he jumped down from the tree in which he had been perched and spoke in the tongue in which he had been blessed.

" _Naaaatheiena,"_ he commanded in a strong, sure voice. "Stop."

Salazar flinched as the deadly beast whipped it's huge head around, reflexively squeezing his eyes shut. Trembling, he forced himself to open them, knowing the importance of appearing powerful and alpha-like. Taking a deep calming breath, he stared, unflinching, at the monster's belly, praying to Merlin that it didn't move too quickly and show him its eyes. Speaking once more, he commanded the basilisk to close its eyes.

" _Ssssaaayyyyya thissthna yaaathha nihaa."_ Louder, with more confidence: " _Ssssaaayyyyya thissthna yaaathha nihaa!"_

Before his disbelieving eyes, the beast slowly lowered its head, eyes closed, at his feet, informing him in their shared language that it had closed its eyes as it did so. Most incredibly of all, it then asked him,

" _Waheena ssssssarshhethh thaaashhsss?"_ "What now, Master?"

"The beast is perfect!" Salazar thought to himself. Unable to contain himself, he gave a cry of delight, saying, "This beast is the solution to my problems! It is only fitting that it be a snake that will someday purge Hogwarts of the filth that my old friends welcome into its halls. One day, my heir will return and set this beast, my greatest ally, free where it will roam the halls, eliminating mud bloods, so that my heir may reap the rewards of its work. Only then will justice be served and Hogwarts returned to its former glory!"

"Not if I can help it!" A foreign voice declared.

The basilisk raised its head in alarm at the intrusion, eyes still closed so as not to risk killing its master. It settled down when Salazar spoke to it. "Not yet, my pretty. Let us be civil, at least for a moment."

In English, he called out, "Who's there?"

From a thicket of bushes stepped a wizened wizard wielding his wand. Upon seeing the state of his adversary, Salazar couldn't help giving a mocking laugh.

"Oh? It is you who is going to stand between the great Slytherin and his plan? You are going to stop me? You can barely stand."

"It is true, the old wizard replied with eerie calm. "I may not stand straight and tall, but I can duel as well as any other."

At this, Salazar could barley contain his mirth. "You want to fight!?" he exclaimed, sure that the elder man was not serious. Yet he was quite serious in his reply.

"For the sake of these students, I will fight you. I will not simply let you walk away to unleash this horrible beast on innocent children without trying to stop you first."

"Fine." Salazar replied. "If it will ease your conscience, you may _try."_ Drawing his own wand, he continued, "Let us begin."

Before the old wizard could process his words, the great green sorcerer had cried, " _Confringo!"_ causing the old wizard to cry in shock and pain as the leaves around him exploded in flame, singeing him in the process. With surprising speed, he cast his own spell. Now it was Salazar's turn to howl in pain as the elderly man's _Waddiwasi_ spell caused small pebbles from the forest floor to lodge themselves in Salazar's nostrils. Taking advantage of Salazar's temporary preoccupation, his opponent seized the chance to conjur a dozen arrows and a bow which began shooting the arrows at the great wizard as though it had a life of its own. It was only the wizard's prodigious skill and agility which allowed him to produce a shield in the nick of time. The shield cause the arrows to bounce off and fling themselves back at their original caster, who braced himself for the onslaught. But Salazar had grown annoyed, and when Slytherins grow annoyed, they no longer play by the rules, and fairness becomes merely a word, not a way of behaving. With a flick of his wand, the arrows became swinging axes which not only came at the poor old wizard head on, but circled around him, swiping and dodging, creating the equivalent of twelve knights against one. Yet hope was not lost for the old wizard or the muggleborns of Hogwarts, for these many adversaries gave reason for the old man to demonstrate just how prodigious his own skill was. His wand became a blur as he set to work reducing the axes to dust.

Once his work was done, the wizened wizard turned to Salazar with a smug smile on his face, asking, "Shall we put our weapons aside and agree like gentlemen that you will not harm the innocent children of that school?"

Salazar was no longer merely annoyed. He was now furious, as well as humiliated, a combination which did not bode well for the heroic wizard. For the second time, the cunning wizard cast a spell with no fair warning.

 _"Avada kedavra!"_

There was a flash of blinding green light accompanied by a great rushing sound, not like wind, but like the souls of the dead rushing to collect their newest companion. When it had died down, it seemed that that was indeed what they had done, for where moments ago the kindly wizard had stood triumphant and smiling, there now lay the shell of a man who had paid the price for doing the right thing.

Turning to his salvation, Salazar spoke to the basilisk.

" _Nnesseereeethhhhhh." "_ Eat _."_

 **The online parsletongue translator wasn't working, so I had to adlib. Sorry, and thanks for reading !**


End file.
